Tuesday, December 22, 2015

More than 4,000 Ghanaians migrated to Italy in 2015

More than 4,000 Ghanaians arrived on the shores of Italy between January and December this year, to seek greener pastures in Europe.

This ranks Ghana as topping the 10 countries from which migrants travel to Italy by sea and the top five in Africa.

The Chief of Mission of the International Organization of Migration (IOM) in Ghana, Ms. Sylvia Lopez Ekra, made this known at a meeting to commemorate the International Migrants Day in Accra.

The meeting organized by IOM under the Ghana Integrated Migration Management Approach Programme (GIMMA), brought together civil society organizations and other stakeholders to discuss issues of migration.

The GIMMA project, funded by the European Union and implemented by the IOM and the Ghana Immigration Service, is aimed at contributing to the government’s efforts to manage migration more effectively.

The meeting had the theme: “Addressing irregular migration in Ghana: Strategic dialogue with civil society.”

Recall

The irregular migrants, Ms Ekra said, traveled by boas to Italy.

Although there were no official and accurate data on irregular migrants from Ghana to other European countries and continents, she said the figures were quite high and indicated that most of them did not reach their destinations but ended up dead on either the desert or in the Mediterranean Sea.

In April this year, the foreign ministry confirmed that six Ghanaians were part of a team of 12 thrown overboard a boat heading to Italy following a religious row.

Between January and April this year, it was reported that 471 Ghanaians including 32 unaccompanied minors were rescued from boats in the Mediterranean Sea by Italian authorities.

It was also reported that about 200 Ghanaians died in Libya from January to the first week on June in 2003 in their attempt to cross the 3,000km Libyan Desert to Europe in search of economic fortunes.

For countries such as Ghana, Ms Ekra said, the IOM advocated voluntary instead of forced return to ensure the migrants return home safely.

Motivation and Inspiration

Motivated by the economic hardships, unemployment and the appreciation for migration in certain cultures, among others, Ms Ekra explained that many migrants used information in their network to move from country to country.

In Ghana, for instance, she said the irregular migrants usually started the journey from the northern part of Ghana to Burkina Faso through Niger where they move to Libya and eventually proceeded to Europe.

The total number of international migrants has increased from an estimated 175 million in 2000 to 232 million persons in 2015, the United Nations has stated.

In a message posted on the United Nations’ website on Friday, Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary-General, said: “2015 will be remembered as the year of human suffering and migrant tragedies.”

He added that in total, more than 5,000 women, men and children had lost their lives this year “in search of the protection and a better life.”

International Migrants day

The International Migrants Day, which is marked every December 18, was instituted by the United Nations to recognize the efforts, contribution and rights of migrants worldwide.

The day is also used to reach out to the international community, governments, organisations, and other stakeholders to come together and remember the refugees and migrants who lost tier lives or disappeared while trying to reach a ‘safe haven’ after arduous journeys across seas and deserts.

As part of the celebration, a candlelight vigil was held across the world to remember migrants who had lost their lives.